Love Makes the World Go 'Round: Valentine's Day 2013

Love - it's such a little word, yet there is so much meaning in it. As you may know, our blog is as much a record of us and our lives as it is a place to share stories and news, so when an event like Valentine's Day comes around we like to capture as much of it as possible. Before I get started though, Laura put a status on our Sprezzatura Facebook page that summed up 2013's Valentine's Day for me:

The reason I say that is this year has so far been a year of love coming at us from all angles. Since getting engaged, friends, family, our blog friends, Twitter followers and work colleagues couldn't have been more generous or thoughtful. We've had so many heart warming cards from around the world - from family in Australia to blog friends we've never met, it shows love really does bring happiness. In addition to that we've had such thoughtful gifts from Laura's cousins and our bridesmaids who between them have offered to do our wedding invites, thrown us an engagement party with the best food (by Sarah & Lauren) and been so generous it took our breath away! We really are so lucky!

Back to Valentine's Day this year and we decided once again that we wouldn't do presents because we are SO good at sticking to that rule :) The day started in a rush as I had a 8.45am meeting at work - clearly no-one in my office thinks of romance in the the morning! I did however manage to sneak a card into Laura's bag.

My card to Laura xoxo

Laura had packed me off with a cake tin filled with delicious homemade cupcakes for my team and I was able to put a smile on everyone's face as soon as I had finished my call. Who wouldn't want to start the day with a banana cupcake with the most delicious real strawberry icing?! Certainly no-one in my office resisted. It's amazing how nice it feels to be nice, it was an unexpected present I got to enjoy courtesy of Laura, I even got a few hugs!!

Over at Laura's office, giving out her cupcakes was postponed to after lunch as one of the guys in her team had brought in brownies. However, the feedback on tasting them was pretty much the same as it had been in mine:

We had hoped that meeting at lunch would be possible but now we don't work as close it's only possible if neither of us have meetings immediately after lunch as we have to rely on public transport. Thankfully things worked in our favour, or maybe cupid was playing his part but Laura was able to get a bus and walk the 15 mins to meet me as my tube pulled in to the station. Our romantic lunch date location - McDonald's haha!! Mainly because we knew we could get a table and the service was quick enough to give us time to talk and gaze lovingly at each other, as much as you can in a McDonald's :)  Funnily enough this McDonald's did play love songs the whole time.

The highlight of the lunch date was getting to spend half an hour catching up and enjoying each other company, oh and the fact that I left with this GIANT COOKIE:

I'm a lucky lady, Laura made this!!!

My present for Laura arrived when she got back for lunch and combined with picking her up after work put me as the joint best present giver in her office! I'm not sure if I should be pleased or disappointed! I always like to send L things to show her I'm thinking of her, Valentine's Day or not.

As I was finishing work early, L's generosity continued in her office - each person was given a pack of Lovehearts with historical Valentine's Day cards - this girl does holidays and she does them well!!!

My time at home was spent bringing back part of my proposal. As it had been windy and a somewhat emotional time up at Lucky Peak Laura had said she hadn't had a chance to read all the hearts I had written so I had hidden the hearts when we returned ready for this very day. I laid them out so each one could be read then lit candles and tidied, the lounge was ready for our evening of chilled romance.

I met Laura straight from her office and we ordered Chinese ready for delivery when we got in, as with everything else that day it worked perfectly and by 7pm we were snuggled on the couch enjoying the Bachelor. There's nothing quite like hugging the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with while watching others find theirs.







Laura's card to me was perfect, with photos of our engagement her head was obviously in the same place mine was! There is something about being engaged that made this Valentine's Day feel extra special.


Valentine's Day to me is a great opportunity to stop and make sure everyone I know is smiling but no-one more than Laura - I mean it when I say I love her more each and every day!